Sing You To Me
by kmart92
Summary: The engagement's off but Sam still won't make a move. Can a song break their impasse? Song-fic featuring Ryan O'Shaugnessy's "No Name" and "First Kiss" - Please read!
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: 10 days and Rookie Blue still won't be mine (I'm working on a sketch of Sam Swarek, though, to keep me company – not even sure if I'm kidding). Neither are Ryan O'Shaughnessy's awesome songs!**_

_**I've read a couple of these kinds of stories, but I always like to give it a try myself to see how it turns out. Probably a 2-3 shot song-fic story. Seriously, if you haven't heard these songs by Ryan O'Shaughnessy from Britain's Got Talent, Youtube them (especially his audition song), I swear they're worth it. So, anyway, this will be post Luke cheating and Andy leaving, but let's forget for the time being that Sam even considered going under. Hope you enjoy and please please please review to let me know what you think!**_

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The time-honoured tradition of poker night was well under way, though it usually wasn't held in such quick succession. Once a week for the past 3 weeks was highly unusual, and Sam couldn't help but be suspicious that his two best friends kept insisting on it as a way of distracting him and attempting to pull him out of the funk he'd landed himself headfirst in.

The first thing that tipped him off was the slightly more emphasised 'how _are_ you's' and long stares as they waited for him to respond with anything other than his usual "yep, good, fine". The second thing was that without a second thought, Oliver whipped open his wallet on more than one occasion to shout him a tumbler. The third, their conspicuous vanishing act any time McNally was anywhere in his vicinity.

They never outright asked him anything, though Jerry never failed in his subtle-as-a-sledgehammer allusions, but he could feel them teetering on the edge of bursting out with the inevitable 'talk'. Which was how he found himself staring at a pair of Jacks, a 10, 6 and 3, pondering his next move and simultaneously avoiding the sidelong glances of his buddies, barely resisting the urge to roll his eyes in frustration. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Oliver narrow his eyes at Jerry and tilt his head toward him, obviously trying to convince Jerry that he was the better one with words, but Jerry just resolutely shook his head and turned away, ignoring him. He heard Oliver clear his throat, and in that moment, Sam made a snap decision.

Scraping back his chair loudly, Sam pushed off the table, throwing his cards in and moved towards the kitchen, yelling over his shoulder, "Another beer anyone?" but didn't stop to hear their responses. Leaning back against the fridge for a moment to take a breather, Sam pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing as he tried to relax the tense set of his shoulders and rubbed at his eyes, before grabbing three bottles and reluctantly heading back into the lion's den.

He raised an eyebrow at Shaw's empty seat, plonked the beers down and levered himself into his seat, immediately taking a swig of his beer.

"Bathroom," Jerry muttered in answer to Sam's unspoken query, and grunted as he flung his own cards into the middle in disgust before leaning back and taking a few seconds to appraise Sam's slightly hunched over and tired-looking figure. "So, uh…" He watched as Sam's jaw clenched and eyes squinted at him and instantly questioned the wisdom in approaching this subject, but continued nonetheless. Someone had to try. Jerry made a show of looking at his watch as though it would help his memory. "It's been, what, 4 weeks? Almost to the day, I think."

"Jerry…" Sam almost growled out, palm tightening around the bottle. "Don't".

"D'ya think maybe it's time to…"

"No." He cut Jerry off abruptly, the tone of voice definitely warning him to end this line of conversation – now.

Jerry nodded, coughing a little as he reached for his own beer. "K," he mumbled as they both turned their heads in opposite directions, letting the uncomfortableness fester a little until he felt the need to push just a smidgeon more. "Just… you're gonna tell her eventually, right?" He shrunk back in his chair at the venomous glare that was levelled at him from across the table, instead holding up a hand in surrender and audibly breathing a sigh of relief when he saw Oliver's shadow walking towards them.

"Sam?" Oliver emerged with a paper in his hands, clearly distracted by whatever was on the page and not really looking at him. "When did you start playing the guitar again?"

"What?" Jerry looked on in confusion as Sam's face initially furrowed, then realisation seemed to hit him and portions of anger, embarrassment and panic flooded his features, causing him to leap out of the chair towards Oliver.

"Sammy, is this…?" Oliver finally glanced up in time to see Sam practically lunge for the page, all but ripping it out of his hands. "Jeez buddy! What the hell!"

"It's nothing. I… I, just, um, it's just something I fooled around with a while back. No big deal." Sam clutched the paper to his chest, but noticed the peculiar looks he was getting and forced himself to loosen his grip, letting it dangle from his fingertips as his hand dropped down to his side.

"No big deal? Sammy, you _wrote_ that, didn't you?" Oliver moved forward to reach for it again, but Sam just stepped back, almost knocking down his chair in the process.

"Anyone care to fill me in on what's going on?" Jerry piped up, flicking his eyes between the two, before landing them back on Oliver, raising his palms upwards in a silent, '_Well?'_

"It seems like our buddy Sam here has written a song dedicated to his fair rookie."

"Shaw! Shut up! It's not about McNally, it's got nothing to do with her!"

"Oh come on Sam! That is a _love song_ which _you_ wrote about _her_!" Oliver swiped at the paper but missed hopelessly and groaned, throwing up his hands into the air in annoyance when Sam held it out of his reach and began ripping it to shreds.

"What're you doing?" Jerry leaped up and half across the table in a feeble attempt to stop him. "Sam, you can't!"

"Just did." Sam then scrunched the pieces up into a ball in his palm, glaring at them both, daring them to make another move. "I didn't write it, it's most definitely not about her, and for the last time, we're not talking about this… EVER!" He paced out to the kitchen and with a fling of his wrist, shot the crinkled pieces into the bin. By the time he stormed back out a few moments later, Oliver was gesturing wildly, mouth moving a mile a minute and Jerry hanging off every word, eyes huge in disbelief.

"Sam, this is ridiculous! You can't keep hiding from this and waiting for her forever!" Oliver turned on him the second he entered the room, determined to give this whole 'get your ass into gear' speech thing a shot.

"I'm not!" Sam retorted, slamming his beer down on the table and watching it slosh over the sides a little.

"Puh-lease! You've been moping around for 2 years, Sam. _2 years!_" Jerry pointed his finger in accusation, starting to yell a bit in frustration at the entire situation. "And God forbid she'd actually got married, who the hell knows what you would've done then, cos you won't _say_ anything to her!"

"How exactly are you supposed to move forward from this stupid stalemate if you don't talk to her?" Oliver crossed his arms, only to uncross them a second later to run a hand through the little hair he had.

"It's not the right time. She needs more time." Sam refused to look either of them in the eye, instead preferring to focus his attention on his quickly dwindling beer, repeating his words over and over in his head like he had every day since she'd walked away from that bastard almost 4 weeks ago. "And besides, maybe I'm a little drunk, but I could've sworn that I said we weren't discussing this."

Oliver pushed on, paying no heed to Sam's rant. "And how exactly are you supposed to know when it _is_ the right time if you won't even broach the subject with her? I'm not saying you have to announce your undying love to the girl but the least you could do is talk about it. How will you know when she's ready?"

"When she's ready!"

"What? That doesn't even make sense!"

"Look, I've had it up to here…" Sam flung a hand above his head, waving it around madly, "… of people sticking their noses into my business, _including_ you guys, and I'd really rather not continue this argument any further. So if you don't mind, I'm going to bed. I'm sure you can show yourselves out." Without waiting for a reply, Sam stalked off in the direction of his bedroom, slamming the door behind him and immediately collapsing on his bed, fully clothed, raking his hands over his face and groaning in part fury, part despair.

It's not that he wasn't stoked that she was finally free, he most definitely was. Pure ecstasy had him vainly trying to keep the smile off his face when he noticed Callaghan in the dog house and the shiny, garish ring acutely absent from her finger when she turned up at the Penny. But then he'd screwed up… again. Jealousy bit into him and he'd abandoned her in a hasty fit of rage that she seemed to still be clinging to the guy that'd chosen someone else over her.

She'd forgiven him, far too quickly for his own guilt, even though he'd be eternally grateful she hadn't cast him out of her life forever. Sam honestly didn't think he could cope if she'd decided he was just like everyone else in her life. He wasn't above begging, but her lion's heart saved him once again.

It was her current bout of anger and depression that had him questioning himself and second-guessing ever move he made around her. If he pushed, she'd close up on him and then he'd never get the chance to rewrite every misconception she'd formed about relationships. Truth be told, he was petrified of her not reciprocating and leave him to drown himself in misery for the rest of his life, bemoaning the loss of having her around even as a friend. So he waited. For a sign, a glimmer of her going back to her normal self, of her finally being rid of any feelings towards her ex, for her to walk up to him and say she wanted no one else but him, for anything that'd tell him she's ready to move forward with him.

He heard Oliver and Jerry moving about in the kitchen for a few moments, clinking some beer bottles in the sink, before finally heading out, banging the door shut as they left a little harder than necessary. Letting his hand rummage around on the bedside table until he found the pill bottle, Sam dry swallowed 2 sleeping tablets and lay there until he succumbed to the darkness.

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The next shift back, Oliver cornered Traci on her way to the locker rooms and, quickly looking around to see if anyone was watching, pulled her into the nearest Interview room. He unfolded a piece of paper from his pocket, and handed it to her, still not saying anything.

"And what exactly am I looking at?" Traci saw a photocopy of several bits of torn paper pieced together. It looked vaguely like song lyrics, but didn't bother reading, instead just letting her eyes skim over what seemed to be a few guitar chords, scrawled out and glanced up at him, quirking an eyebrow.

"I found it at Sam's house and when I confronted him about it, he tore it up and chucked it in the bin." Oliver motioned to the rips, drawing her attention to the words.

"Is this his writing?" Traci's voice became higher in astonishment as she got to what she presumed was the chorus. There was no doubt who this song was referring to. "He wrote this?"

"We think so. Jerry fished it out of the bin and we reconstructed it. I took a photo of it on my phone."

"Andy… Ohmygod," she murmured, staring into his eyes in disbelief, shaking her head slightly when she saw him nod and shrug his shoulders. "Shaw… what, um…"

"Yeah, I know. We have no idea what to do, but I just thought that you… maybe, you could talk to her, Nash. I don't know." Oliver sighed, gnawing on the inside of his lip as he watched her assess her thoughts.

"Just… Ollie, come with me for a sec." Traci tugged at his arm and walked out of the room, heading straight for the computers. Tapping away for a minute, Oliver saw her open up Google and type in some of the song lyrics, before turning back to him. "It's his. I can't believe it!" She stood up next to him and they both gaped as Andy came into view, sauntering towards the locker room, shooting Sam a shy smile as their paths crossed. He stopped at the sight of her, paralysed, and lingered even after she'd gone. Traci and Oliver looked across at each other and without another word, Traci nodded, clutching the paper and headed in the same direction.

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Andy was busy tying her shoe laces when Traci appeared around the corner. She instantly started babbling about the condos she'd seen over the weekend and how she'd narrowed it down to 3. Andy hardly even noticed her friend's silence until she asked her to go with her for the final inspection in a couple of days' time.

"Traci?" Andy waved a hand in front of her face, frowning as she snapped out of her daze. "You alright? What's the matter?"

"Huh? Uh, nothing. Well, actually…" Traci glanced down at the paper she held and back up to Andy's puzzled face. Taking a deep, exaggerated breath, she continued, shoving the page at Andy. "Here, read this."

"What? I don't…" Andy's brow wrinkled in concentration as she processed what she was reading. "Trace? What is this? Why am I…?"

"Do you recognise the handwriting?" Traci interrupted, gesturing for her to look at it again.

After a second of hesitation, Andy browsed the familiar scrawl. "Sam's? But…"

"Did you know he played the guitar?"

"Um, he might have mentioned it I guess," Andy answered faintly, now focusing on the words, completely unable to help the sheen of tears starting to blur the page. "Where'd you get this Trace?" she whispered, the meaning behind it all hitting her full force, her heart beating frantically against her ribcage.

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_**Every now and then I see I part of you I haven't seen  
Birds can swim and fish can fly the road is long I wonder why  
One of these days you'll realize what you mean to me ohhh  
Every now and then I see a part of you I've never seen  
**_

_**Every now and then I try to tell you just how I feel  
**__**The heavens talk, the rain begins, the sky turns black, nobody wins**_  


_**Well I try to talk but I can't  
My soul has turned to steel  
This happens every now and then when I try to tell you just how I feel  
So if you ever love somebody  
You gotta keep them close  
When you lose grip of their body  
You'll be falling  
**_

_**Because I'm falling  
Deeper in love  
In love  
Deeper in love  
In love  
Deeper in love  
In love**_

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"Shaw found it at poker night." She didn't need to say anything else, as she knew Andy understood.

She sniffed, trying to steady herself against the sudden onslaught of feelings. Andy couldn't help but question it, still a little incredulous of what he'd done. "Me?" she breathed out, cradling the precious paper to her heart. "Trace," Andy croaked, voice rough with emotion, "It's…"

"Yeah, it is." Traci nodded, pulling her friend in for a tight hug, holding back a tear of her own. Gripping her shoulders, she leaned back. "Now you've just gotta work out what to do about it."

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_**10 more days! Countdown commences! I kinda get the feeling my writing is actually getting worse, but I've vowed to myself that I'll finish all my story ideas eventually so I won't give up and hopefully one day I'll be content. I really hope you all like it and as a little present to me, send me a review! I'll try to have the next chapter up in a couple of days.**_

_**Oh, and in case you were wondering, the title of this story is kind of attributed to the movie "Australia", though, no offence to those of you who've watched it and liked it, I'm not really a fan. **_

_**Thanks for reading!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: Alas, tis not mine.**_

_**K, must admit to feeling a little unloved right now. But thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, and for those who didn't, I hope it wasn't too pathetic. I'm thinking this will be the last chapter (only a 2-shot in total), hope it doesn't disappoint. Check out Ryan O'Shaughnessy's "First Kiss" on Youtube, it's my inspiration for this chapter. Really hope you like it and please review!**_

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Andy was pale and teary when she entered the parade room and even from the back of the room, Sam noticed it instantly. He thought she'd been slowly on the improve, finally getting her life back together and moving past this recent heartbreak and betrayal, but now Andy seemed to be taking a step backwards. If it hadn't have been for Best walking in behind her and launching straight into the daily spiel, Sam would have crossed the room in a flash to be by her side. As it was, when she sent him a shaky, timid smile, he pushed off the table anyway, unconsciously take a step toward her, only to shrink back into his shell when she turned away.

The second Best dismissed them, Sam headed in her direction, watching as Nash curiously tilted her head in his direction and saw Andy take a deep breath before turning around to greet him. Her eyes were downcast, only peeping up at him for a few seconds and then dropping back down shyly.

"Hey Sam," Andy bit her lip, blinking at him as her cheeks developed a faint crimson hue.

"Everything ok, McNally?" Sam frowned at her, concern clouding his expression, and he couldn't help but reach out a hand to tip her chin up so he could see her face properly.

In that moment, a wide giddy grin spread across her face as she saw how much he cared about her, finally discerning his level of devotion and love. His song ran through her head again, and Andy felt the overwhelming urge to hug him.

Sam tensed the moment he saw her move closer, and was utterly shocked when she pulled him into a tight embrace, hands clinging to the material of his shirt and her beautiful head resting against his heart. He was sure she must be able to feel it feverishly pounding against his chest, but as he closed his arms around her waist, at last relishing how her body felt moulded to his, Sam couldn't focus on anything other than never wanting to let her go. The moment ended far too soon for his liking. As he reluctantly let her escape from his grasp and looked into her Bambi eyes, he was suddenly overcome by a force within him, compelling him to murmur all kinds of mad declarations of love and foreverness, and just hope beyond anything that she'd reciprocate. But once again, when he opened his mouth, Sam found himself mute, the words locked inside and refusing to come out.

It wasn't enough. Andy couldn't content herself with the feeling of his arms wrapped around her; it didn't convey nearly enough of the emotion that she needed to express. Her heart was crying out for much more than a hug. Looking up at him, she knew that her words could never do this man justice, so Andy leaned forward, leaving a lingering kiss to his cheek, before retreating out of the room, whispering a quiet "thank you, Sam" as she left.

He stood there for several seconds after she'd disappeared from view, marvelling at her power over him, and craving infinitely more, until Oliver cleared his throat behind him, raising an eyebrow in the direction the girls just took. Seeing Shaw's pointed look, Sam snapped out of his trance and headed for the squad cars, barely able to keep his fingers from tracing the indelible imprint of her lips on his cheek.

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They'd been driving around the streets for about 10 minutes before he felt in control of himself enough to dare broach the subject. Andy hadn't said anything either, but Sam could feel her eyes on him and the couple of times he chanced a glance in her direction, he caught traces of the same expression he knew was on his own face when he was around her. So far, his heart rate still hadn't calmed since their earlier encounter, and Sam just _had _to get to the bottom of this change soon, otherwise he knew he'd spend the better part of the day completely distracted.

"So, uh, what was with the… um… back there?" _God, he was a bundle of nerves_. Sam saw her turn her head to look back, then faced him again, silently questioning what he was babbling about. "Um… you know, the uh…" Sam inwardly cursed as he waved a hand backwards as if that would explain it all and put him out of his misery. "You, you seem different, that's all," he finally got out, and let out a breath as he saw the recognition dawn on her face.

"Oh. Well, I just…" Andy took a huge sigh and spun in her seat to look straight at him, reaching out to put a hand on his arm, wanting the contact for him to feel her sincerity. "I want to thank you, Sam, for everything. You're always there for me whenever I need someone the most and even when I don't think I need anyone. You know you mean a lot to me, don't you?" Andy watched as he looked across at her, a little half-smile gracing his features, but she felt like he didn't believe her fully. "Honestly, you have no idea how it means to me that you care. I don't know what I'd have done without you. I can't say it enough, Sam." She could hear her voice getting a bit choked up and her throat starting to constrict, but she had to get it all out, even if it was just a poor excuse for a thank you. "You're the most loyal, protective, unbelievably sweet guy I've ever known, and…" Andy gulped down some air, trying to recover, "when my life is gone to hell and back, you're the only one I know without a doubt I'll be safe with. I… you, just… thank you, Sam."

By now, Sam had pulled the squad car over, and was hanging off her every word, cherishing the sound of her voice telling him that his actions hadn't gone unnoticed. The unexpected sentiments from her held him in a kind of daze, a contented smile settling on his lips. He tucked a stray hair behind her ear, letting his fingers drift down her cheek before returning to his lap, knowing that finally, everything was right in his world.

A few minutes of staring later, Sam started the car up again and with matching grins, they let themselves drift off into their work.

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In the middle of a strawberry milkshake, Andy came up with the perfect idea to bring up the, ahem, lovesong. She watched him dig into his burger and took the opportunity of his mouth being stuffed to ask, anticipating some hesitation on his part.

"I was thinking, would you like to go to dinner with me? Tonight? Um, I know you've been dying to try that new steak place around the corner from the station, so why don't we go tonight?" Sam's eyes went huge and he tried to gulp down his mouthful without chewing so he could respond and ended up almost choking on a piece of lettuce. "Uh, that's if you're not busy, I mean, it's ok if you're doing something else, I just figured you know…"

Recovering quickly, Sam halted her wild hand movements, shaking his head emphatically. "No, of course I don't have anything planned, I was just going to the Penny like usual. I'd love that, Andy."

She blushed at the use of her first name, ducking her head and subconsciously twisting a strand of hair around her finger. "Good. My treat, of course, to say thanks."

"Uhn uhn. Nope. You've gotta stop saying thanks, I've always got your back remember. And you're definitely not paying, what kinda guy would I be if I let you buy me dinner? You might change your opinion of me." Sam winked at her, loving this sudden change in their relationship, but still nervous that he was reading into it too much.

Andy beamed across at him, her eyes gleaming in excitement. "Never! But I'll agree to your terms. So, shall I make the reservation for 8? I can just grab some clothes from Traci's after shift and we'll go from there, ok?"

"Sure, I'll pick you up from Traci's."

"Great!" She was practically bouncing in her seat as she whipped out her phone. "It's a date!" She was busy looking up the number, so she didn't noticed Sam's face freeze in surprise, hand stilled halfway toward his coke. He was sure his heart stopped for a couple of seconds before thudding violently against his chest once again.

"Uh… yeah. Sounds perfect." His voice was so quiet that he doubted she heard the touch of roughness it developed. His day had been so full of surprises, he hardly knew what was coming next and he almost expected someone to pinch him and he'd be forced to wake up from this dream.

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Andy stood in front of him, the most perfect creature he'd ever laid eyes on, and Sam knew he'd remember this night for the rest of his life. He stared at her for a little longer than necessary, absorbing her smoky eyes, long curls draped over one shoulder and dark blue dress that stuck to her curves and once again, all thoughts flew out of his brain, save for the image of her. Coughing slightly, all Sam could do was hold out his hand for her to take and drew her closer, not knowing where he got the audacity to place a peck against her cheek. The scent of blueberries and vanilla invaded his senses, and Sam worried how the hell he was going to last the whole night with her so close.

Neither said a word on the way to the restaurant, though it seemed words were pointless as they kept sneaking glances at each other, only to quickly turn back when they caught the other's eye, tiny smiles playing across their faces.

Andy disappeared to the lady's room shortly after they were shown to their table and Sam took that opportunity to endeavour to relax and enjoy himself, rather than focusing on how important tonight was to their future. She returned a little while later and after placing their orders, settled into easy conversation.

He watched as Andy twirled a piece of tagliatelle around her fork before popping it in her mouth, closing her eyes in delight at the taste. Sam hadn't even touched his steak, just sitting there, absorbing her every movement, completely enamoured, wondering if he'd still feel like this after 50 years with her and answering his question in the same heartbeat. Andy's quirked eyebrow jolted him back to reality, noticing her curiously staring at him, fork halted mid-air.

Sam cleared his throat, scratched the back of his neck, and before his brain could convince him that it was anything but a good idea, he delved straight into it. "Do you, uh… I mean, would you…" _Jeez, way to go, Sammy. Stuttering like an idiot._ "Do you think maybe we could do this again… soon?" He didn't even care that his voice was purely unbridled hopefulness.

"I'd love to, Sam!" Her blinding grin made him want to lean across to kiss it right off her mouth. "I was hoping you'd ask." Andy stretched out her hand to intertwine it with his, running a thumb across his knuckles, loving the look of absolute ecstasy that had taken up residence on his face, knowing that _she_ was the one that made him that happy.

He closed his eyes to savour the moment, and grudgingly released her hand to dig into his steak. In exchange, Sam nudged his leg against hers, gently wrapping her foot against his calf to feel her warmth. Grinning as a deep blush crept up her neck, Sam chuckled lightly, lowering his head to attempt to concentrate on his plate, and together they finished their meal in silence.

Waiting for the maître d' to return with the dessert menus, Sam noticed the band for the first time, but his oblivion to everything else didn't surprise him at all. They weren't the usual jazzy band dressed in brightly coloured, hideous suits, but rather, three guys in jeans and dark t-shirts with guitars, strumming away to songs he'd never heard before.

"They're good, huh?" Her voice broke him from his thoughts, and he simply nodded as a menu was brought to their table. Andy grabbed it immediately and barely glanced at it for a couple of seconds before grinning sheepishly up at him.

Sam rolled his eyes and tipped the menu forward so he could see, sighing half-jokingly as he turned back to the waiter hovering beside them. "One chocolate fudge cake with ice-cream please." He looked across at Andy as the waiter left, seeing her mouth still partially agape, eyebrows flung upwards to her hairline. Sam just snorted, "You're predictable."

Andy crossed her arms in a fake huff, but a few seconds later reached out for his hand again, needing to feel his rough hand against hers once more. They didn't break their hold even when dessert arrived, instead using their free hands to attack the cake. She'd never seen him this relaxed and just… content. But she knew it was short-lived when the band switched to a different melody and immediately his hand tensed in hers.

Sam looked across at the band in panic as they continued singing his lyrics, and tried to wrench his hand away but she held him tighter, refusing to let go. His jaw clenched as he realised Andy was responsible, and gawked at her, disbelieving and insecure. "McNally," he growled out, watching her wince as he reverted back to the old name. "Care to explain this?"

Andy ignored him for the time being, preferring to get to the heart of the matter. "Did you write this song for me, Sam?" she whispered, blinking her big eyes at him, tilting her head to the side just slightly as she toyed with her bottom lip.

He looked vulnerable, a first since they'd been paired together, but right now it was pouring off him in waves. For a moment, Sam didn't say anything, just glared, and she was sure a million thoughts were hurdling through his brain at lightning speed. In the end, he stopped on one thing. "How?" Sam's voice was gravelly and a little shaky.

Andy supposed he already knew the answer to that, but tried to tug on his hand to pacify him. "Don't be mad, Sam. Traci showed it to me this morning and I think she said she got it from…"

"Shaw." Sam broke in, and Andy could see the vein popping out in his neck as he fought to remain level-headed.

"Sam, please. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. I've never had anyone write a song for me, and for it to be so… exquisite, I just… Please don't be angry with me."

"I'm not angry with you." Sam sighed, but his voice still held the severe edge to it.

"But you _are_ angry. You're annoyed, upset, panicked, and definitely planning major payback on Ollie."

"I would've said shocked, but yeah, I s'pose any of the above would do," Sam murmured, dropping his head down, snorting out a frustration breath through his nose, now unable to bear looking at her. He knew it was too good to be true.

Andy saw his shoulders slump and caught the fragment of sorrow in his eyes before he lowered them. The fact that even now he doubted everything, made her realise just how invested he was in this and Andy regretted ever having brought this upon him. "Sam?" He didn't respond, even when she squeezed his hand. Andy trailed her fingers along his cheek, finally getting him to look at her. "This doesn't change anything, Sam. Not for me. I meant everything I said today, _everything_." Andy clutched at his hand, pulling it up to place rough kisses all over it. "This song… It just gave me the strength to do something, to put myself out there, to let you know just how much I've wanted this… you."

She let him have his silence, just waiting for him to process his thoughts. After a length, he spoke, firm and considerably more confident. "You've just been in a pretty serious relationship, so I don't want us to rush into anything, ok?" He saw Andy open her mouth to interrupt but he held up a finger and continued. "We should take things slow, one step at a time, until you're really ready. You can set the pace. I'm not going anywhere." The smile on her face told him he'd said exactly the right thing.

"You're amazing, you know that right?" Andy beamed at him, before focusing once again on the cake but wrinkled her nose when she saw the ice-cream had melted.

"Course! Told you I'm awesome!" Sam smirked at her as she rolled her eyes, and pushed the plate towards her, giving up his fork, wondering at how simple things made her so excited.

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She lay curled up beside him in his truck, every inch of her body trying to seep into his. "I don't want to go back yet," Andy whispered, snuggling impossibly closer, kissing at his shoulder.

"Ok, drink at my house?" Sam felt her nod against him and immediately took the next street in the direction of his place, briefly turning his head to touch it against hers.

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He was bent over at the fridge when he heard her soft footsteps, and pulling out two beers, he turned back to her.

She was standing by the lounge, his guitar strap around her neck as her fingers traced over the strings in awe. As if feeling his presence, she glanced up and sent him a sultry smile. "Play me something," she demanded, immediately taking off the strap to hand it to him.

"Andy…" Sam warned, shaking his head as he handed her the beer, simply walking past her to flop onto the lounge, ignoring the guitar thrust out at him.

"Please, Sam," she pouted, fluttering her eyelids at him. "For me?" Andy once again pushed the guitar towards him, this time propping it up against his body as she settled herself in front of him on his coffee table, resting her head in her hand, trying her best pleading look.

Groaning, Sam gulped back most of his beer before picking at the strings, still debating. Looking once more at her, Sam sighed and positioned it on his lap, hesitantly playing a few chords before he finally committed.

.

_**Every story has a beginning, a middle and end  
**__**I'm stuck on chapter one  
**__**There's no substitute who isn't afraid  
**__**You come second to none  
**__**You know I say what's on my mind  
**__**You know it can get me in trouble most of the time**_

.  
His gentle voice entranced her, and as she realised it wasn't a song she'd ever heard, the lyrics made her breath catch, her mind absorbing every word.

.

_**I can't hold a weighted heart  
**__**Gotta let it out from the start  
**__**Anyone can see you and I are just the same  
**__**If you try your best you don't succeed  
**__**You try harder again  
**_

_**And all I want to know is when we were close that night**_  
_**Did you take the time to close your eyes and place your lips to mine  
**__**Place your lips to**_** mine****  
**.

Sam had his eyes closed the entire time, so he never notice the tears making tracks down Andy's cheeks as his words struck a chord deep within her, when the unmistakeable meaning of his song fully hit her.

.

**You**_** know I say what's on my mind  
**__**You know it can get me in trouble most of the time  
**_

_**I can't hold a weighted heart**_  
_**Gotta let it out from the start  
**__**Anyone can see you and I are just the same  
**__**If you try your best you don't succeed  
****You try harder again**_

_**And all I want to know is when we were close that night  
**__**Did you take the time to close your eyes and place your lips to mine  
**__**Place your lips to mine**_

_**So when you move in for the first kiss  
**__**When you move in for the first kiss  
**__**Just make sure you don't miss  
**__**Make sure you don't miss, no  
**__**Make sure you don't miss, you don't miss, don't miss, no  
**__**Keep your eyes closed  
**__**Cos every story has a beginning, a middle and end…**_

.  
Sam finally looked up to see her eyes a little red and her chest heaving as she tried to control herself. "Hey, now," he muttered, pulling her onto his lap as he set the guitar aside. "No tears, sweetheart."

"The blackout," Andy whispered, burying her head into his sleeve, clinging to him.

"It's okay, Andy. We're alright now." Sam placed a soothing kiss to her head, rubbing circles into her back.

Sniffing, Andy leaned back, hiccupping a bit. "But, when did you…"

"I guess around the time you were getting cosy in the fishing cabin." He couldn't help the shoot of hurt that wormed its way into his voice and instantly regretted it when an equally pained expression flitted to her face.

"Oh, Sam," Andy breathed out, her big brown eyes filled with a new sheen of tears. She ran a finger over his lips, cupping his cheek.

"It's okay. It doesn't matter anymore." He drew her back into his chest, loving the feel of her body snug against his.

They sat like that for an immeasurable amount of time, comforting each other with just knowledge that the other was there with them. Eventually, Andy tilted her head up to see him, murmuring a soft, "Can I stay?"

Sam felt his whole body breathe a sigh of bliss. He looked her straight in the eyes, so she'd know how wholly earnest he was. "Forever if you want."

.

.

.

.

_**FIN**_

_**So happy another one is over. Kinda didn't turn out nearly as good as I was hoping but I'm glad you all seemed to like it. Thanks soooo much for reading and giving me your support. Love all the alerts, favourite-ing and most of all, the brilliant reviews!**_

_**So like usual… Thanks to:**_

_**"****Jelly Bean Jenna; Kate6114; rbfan624; vixenali; linda p; smdaniels20; RookieBlue4333; ariel133; Kelly2727; edge15684; and Carol!"**_

_**Guess that's it from me until my next publishing attempt! Thanks for everything!**_

_**Kmart92**_


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